France

semi-presidential republic

name: Paris geographic coordinates: 48 52 N, 2 20 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October time zone note: applies to metropolitan France only; for its overseas regions the time difference is UTC-4 for Guadeloupe and Martinique, UTC-3 for French Guiana, UTC+3 for Mayotte, and UTC+4 for Reunion etymology: name derives from the Parisii, a Celtic tribe that inhabited the area from the 3rd century B.C.; the Celtic settlement became the Roman town of Lutetia Parisiorum (Lutetia of the Parisii); over subsequent centuries it became Parisium and then Paris

chief of state: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017) head of government: S bastien LECORNU (since 10 September 2025) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president at the suggestion of the prime minister election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister appointed by the president most recent election date: 10 April 2022, with a runoff held on 24 April 2022 election results: 2022: Emmanuel MACRON reelected in second round; percent of vote in first round - Emmanuel MACRON (LREM) 27.8%, Marine LE PEN (RN) 23.2%, Jean-Luc MELENCHON (LFI) 22%, Eric ZEMMOUR (Reconqu te) 7.1%, Valerie PECRESSE (LR) 4.8%, Yannick JADOT (EELV) 4.6%, other 10.6%; percent of vote in second round - MACRON 58.5%, LE PEN 41.5% 2017: Emmanuel MACRON elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Emmanuel MACRON (EM) 24%, Marine LE PEN (FN) 21.3%, Francois FILLON (LR) 20%, Jean-Luc MELENCHON (FI) 19.6%, Benoit HAMON (PS) 6.4%, other 8.7%; percent of vote in second round - MACRON 66.1%, LE PEN 33.9% expected date of next election: April 2027

legislature name: Parliament (Parlement) legislative structure: bicameral

highest court(s): Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation (consists of the court president, 6 divisional presiding judges, 120 trial judges, and 70 deputy judges organized into 6 divisions -- 3 civil, 1 commercial, 1 labor, and 1 criminal); Constitutional Council (consists of 9 members) judge selection and term of office: Court of Cassation judges appointed by the president of the republic from nominations from the High Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the Court of Cassation and 15 appointed members; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Council has 3 members appointed by the president of the republic and 3 each by the National Assembly and Senate presidents; members serve 9-year, non-renewable terms with one third of the membership renewed every 3 years subordinate courts: appellate courts or cours d'appel; regional courts or tribunaux judiciaires; first instance courts or tribunaux de proximit ; administrative courts

history: many previous; latest effective 4 October 1958 amendment process: proposed by the president of the republic (upon recommendation of the prime minister and Parliament) or by Parliament; proposals submitted by Parliament members require passage by both houses followed by approval in a referendum; passage of proposals submitted by the government can bypass a referendum if submitted by the president to Parliament and passed by at least three-fifths majority vote by Parliament s National Assembly

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, FZ, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UN Security Council (permanent), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

2.1% of GDP (2025 est.) 2% of GDP (2024 est.) 1.9% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.9% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.9% of GDP (2021 est.)

French Armed Forces (Forces Arm es Fran aises): Army (l'Armee de Terre; includes Foreign Legion), Navy (Marine Nationale), Air and Space Force (l'Armee de l Air et de l Espace); includes Air Defense), National Guard (Garde Nationale), National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale) (2025) note 1: under the direction of the Ministry of the Interior, the civilian National Police and the National Gendarmerie maintain internal security; the National Gendarmerie is a paramilitary police force that is a branch of the Armed Forces and therefore part of the Ministry of Defense but under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior; it also has additional duties to the Ministry of Justice note 2: the National Guard is composed of operational reservists belonging to the Ministry of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior note 3: the French Foreign Legion, established in 1831, is a military force that is open to foreign recruits willing to serve in the French military for service in France and abroad; the Foreign Legion is an integrated part of the French Army; its combat units are a mix of armored cavalry and airborne, light, mechanized, and motorized infantry regiments

generally 17-30 years of age for both men and women with some variations by service, position, and enlisted versus officer; 17-40 for National Gendarmerie; basic service contract is for 12 months; no conscription (abolished 2001) (2025) note 1: a 10-month voluntary military service program for French citizens 18-19 is scheduled to start accepting recruits in September 2026; afterwards, the volunteers can integrate into civilian life, become a reservist, or stay in the armed forces note 2: in 2024, women comprised about 17% of the uniformed armed forces note 3: men between the ages of 17.5 and 39.5 years of age, of any nationality, may join the French Foreign Legion; those volunteers selected for service sign five-year contracts

the French military has a global footprint and a wide range of missions and responsibilities, to include protecting French territory, population, and interests, and fulfilling France s commitments to NATO, European security, and international peacekeeping operations under the UN; it is the largest military in the EU and has a leading role in the EU security framework, as well as in NATO; in recent years, it has actively participated in coalition peacekeeping and other security operations in regions such as Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans, often in a lead role; the military regularly conducts large-scale exercises and participates in a variety of bi-lateral and multinational exercises; it also has a domestic security mission, including providing enhanced security at sensitive sites and large events and support during national crises or disasters, such as fighting forest fires; in recent years, defense responsibilities have expanded to include cyber and space domains in 2010, France and the UK signed a declaration on defense and security cooperation that included greater military interoperability and a Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF), a deployable, combined Anglo-French military force for use in a wide range of crisis scenarios, including high intensity operations, peacekeeping, disaster relief, and humanitarian assistance; the CJEF has no standing forces, but would be available at short notice for French-UK bilateral, NATO, EU, UN, or other operations (2025)

France typically has up to 30,000 total air, ground, and naval forces deployed on permanent or temporary foreign missions; up to 10,000 are permanently deployed, including Djibouti (1,500); French Guyana (2,600); French Polynesia (1,000); French West Indies (1,000); Reunion Island (2,100); UAE (800) other non-permanent deployments include military missions under NATO, the EU, and the UN, as well as some unilateral operations, in such places as Europe, Africa, and the Middle East and adjacent waters (2025)

$3.732 trillion (2024 est.) $3.689 trillion (2023 est.) $3.655 trillion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$54,500 (2024 est.) $54,000 (2023 est.) $53,700 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

1.2% (2024 est.) 0.9% (2023 est.) 2.6% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

2% (2024 est.) 4.9% (2023 est.) 5.2% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

98.5% of GDP (2023 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$1.071 trillion (2024 est.) $1.05 trillion (2023 est.) $1.021 trillion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$1.074 trillion (2024 est.) $1.094 trillion (2023 est.) $1.092 trillion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

7.4% (2024 est.) 7.4% (2023 est.) 7.4% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $1.29 trillion (2023 est.) expenditures: $1.447 trillion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, textiles, food processing, tourism

wheat, sugar beets, milk, maize, barley, potatoes, grapes, rapeseed, pork, sunflower seeds (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 68,512,806 (2025 est.) male: 33,627,639 female: 34,885,167

0.2% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 17.3% (male 6,060,087/female 5,792,805) 15-64 years: 60.7% (male 20,875,861/female 20,615,847) 65 years and over: 22% (2024 est.) (male 6,621,146/female 8,408,845)

10.88 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

9.91 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

1.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 82.6 years (2024 est.) male: 79.8 years female: 85.5 years

urban population: 81.8% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.67% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African (Algerian, Moroccan, Tunisian), Indochinese, Basque minorities note: overseas departments: Black, White, Mulatto, East Indian, Chinese, Indigenous

French (official) 100%, declining regional dialects and languages (Proven al, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish, Occitan, Picard) major-language sample(s): The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. note: overseas departments - French, Creole patois, Mahorian (a Swahili dialect)

Roman Catholic 47%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 2%, Buddhist 2%, Orthodox 1%, Jewish 1%, other 1%, none 33%, unspecified 9% (2021 est.) note: France maintains a tradition of secularism and has not officially collected data on religious affiliation since the 1872 national census, which complicates assessments of France's religious composition; an 1872 law prohibiting state authorities from collecting data on individuals' ethnicity or religious beliefs was reaffirmed by a 1978 law emphasizing the prohibition of the collection or exploitation of personal data revealing an individual's race, ethnicity, or political, philosophical, or religious opinions; a 1905 law codified France's separation of church and state

metropolitan France: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, arable land, fish; French Guiana : gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium, tantalum, clay

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); al-Qa'ida note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

refugees: 810,325 (2024 est.) IDPs: 59 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 2,634 (2024 est.)

1,218 (2025) note: Includes 29 airports in French overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Reunion)

total: 27,860 km (2020) 16,660 km electrified narrow gauge: -5 km

total: 553 (2023) by type: container ship 32, general cargo 48, oil tanker 25, other 448 note: includes Monaco

total subscriptions: 77.5 million (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 117 (2023 est.)

percent of population: 87% (2023 est.)